Category: romance

I usually rant about bitter, grumpy older man stuff… you know, the kind of thing that makes Millennials cringe…

This rant is dedicated to the Millennial couples I witnessed at a Starbucks in McAllen, Texas tonight.

It’s a January Sunday night, and the weather in this South Texas town is cooler than usual. My leading lady and I are finished working the market http://www.DonWesFleaMarket.net where we sell original artwork on Tee Shirts and Canvas.

The weekend work aside, we stroll into a Starbucks to do our duty to remind you how in the online audience of ours just how observant and wise we are. Heck, we were born in the ’60s so we’ve earned some respect, right?

We sit at a corner table and I immediately notice a young Hispanic couple (Hispanic… only in America do we call Mexicans Hispanics, lumping them with Cubans, South Americans, Central Americans, and “real”Spanish people from Spain! Oh, and Portuguese. We don’t know what to do with them, but throw them into that group, too; not that we ever encounter a real red-blooded Portuguese person… or not that we would recognize one from the pack of aforementioned people groups; but I digress…)

Anyways, I am sitting in the corner table facing the door and I immediately notice this young Mexican couple and they’re so engrossed in each other… I mean, talking and laughing and touching appropriately from time to time. Sweet little “aww that’s adorable” stuff that would make a romance movie producer envious.

So this wonderful Mexican-American version of “When Harry Met Sally” is playing live before our eyes, and lo and behold, another Mexican-American couple walks in. He’s holding the door for her, and holding her hand for her, and… you get the picture.

They are like totally immersed in one another’s eyes. The way she looks at him. And these couples go on and on, for like, minutes, and minutes. No electronic devices. No negative gossip. No profanity. They are speaking English. Then Spanish. It’s… okay, to use a chick-flick term, freakin’ adorable.

I get goosebumps. My faith in young people is rising immensely, watching these couples go about their romantic Sunday night dates. They aren’t home, sitting in separate rooms, he on the video games and she on Facebook trashing him. They are in love and it shows.

Then, after a wonderful extended time together, the first couple leaves. He gets the door for her, dumps her trash for her. They go to their vehicle. He. Gets. Her. Door.

OMG… I’m gonna shake his hand. I’m gonna tell him what I think. I got goosebumps and tears in my eyes. I’m bolting outside and waving to him so as not to freak him out as he comes around to the driver’s seat. “Hey man,” I smile, approaching slowly. “I’m from Missouri, and I’m not used to seeing such amazing…”

I hardly know how to put into words what I’m thinking.

I point to him and look at her, smiling in the passenger seat. “You’ve got a real winner here,” I say. She quickly agrees. I turn back to Romeo. “I just want to say, you’ve restored faith in young people for this old guy. The way you treat her and each other with such respect. That’s almost unheard of nowadays. Thank you. You’re a wise, respectful dude.”

He shakes my hand, thanks me, and they are gone.

My next little couple eventually rises to leave. He dumps her trash, opens her door, and as they walked out hand in hand, he gets her car door. My heart is overflowing, and my eyes want to follow suit.

McAllen, Texas, if this is how your young people behave on a Sunday night, it’s little wonder your community is so blessed!

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